Pipelaying in deep water

why is deep water difficult ?

high pressure
remote from the surface
beyond the reach of divers
but
negligible wave action
(usually) small currents
no bottom fishing
few environmental problems
difficulties and opportunities
for S-lay, stinger has to be long so that departure is near-
vertical
for S-lay, tension has to be large, and so the touchdown
point is a long way behind the barge, and long spans are
formed
the pipe contains air at atmospheric pressure, and has to
withstand the hydrostatic pressure: this leads to very high
wall thicknesses in deepwater
the lay speed is limited by welding
J-lay
advantages of J-lay
tension is lower (reduces power requirement, reduces
length of spans)
pipe goes steeply through the water surface, and is not
loaded by waves
no stinger
in severe weather, barge can lower pipe below barge and
then weather-vane around it
disadvantages of J-lay
all operations are carried out at one station: system is
highly vulnerable to breakdowns at that station
less experience than with S-lay (but reel laying is
essentially J-lay)
limited number of experienced contractors
contractors have to recover large investments
configuration of pipe
catenary + small boundary layers close to departure point
and touchdown point
w
maximum curvature ≈
horizontal component of tension at surface
laying flooded
newcomers to pipelaying always ask why the pipe is laid
air-filled (and therefore has to withstand the hydrostatic
pressure)
conventional response is that a flooded pipe would be too
heavy
in deep water huge quantities of steel can be saved by
laying the pipe flooded or partially flooded
J-lay ;conventional strategy 1

pipe has to withstand local

hydrostatic pressure
 J-lay ;alternative strategy 2: pipe
filled with seawater

no hydrostatic pressure difference

 J-lay ;alternative strategy 3: pipe
partially filled with seawater

pressure difference corresponds to

depth z
J-lay ;alternative strategy 4: pipe
partially filled with liquid lighter
than water (eg. pentane)
z
wall strategy 1
thickness

strategy 2

depth

submerged
weight
during strategy 2
pipelaying y 1
ate g
s t r

depth
catenary riser
FPS
problems
FPS
fatigue at
connection
to FPS

flow
assurance

fatigue at
touchdown
alternative materials
technically feasible
problems with joints
appears not to be cost-competitive
composites
glass-reinforced polymer (GRP)
28-inch oil pipeline in Algeria
(Ameron)
many alternative welding techniques exist
friction
laser
flash-butt
homopolar
electron beam
explosive
 Lord Kelvin (1890)

“I have not the smallest molecule of faith

in aerial navigation other than ballooning,
or of expectation of good results from any
of the trials we hear of, so you will
understand that I would not care to be a
member of the Aeronautical Society”